that is our show. i am john stossel. good night. >> gregg: you hear it in the distance, chilling sound of air-raid sirens ringing out across israel as well as rocket fire as violence rages for four straight days. i'm gregg jarrett. >> heather: i'm healther childers. israel bombing the gaza strip. hundreds of air strikes hitting government buildings and smuggling tunnels. defense forces firing off the so-called iron dome anti-missile system as rockets rain down on

israeli cities. fivizes were wounded. it was a port city. if tel aviv. police say a hamas rocketed was destroyed in midair by the defense system, all of this as the death toll climbs on both sides with reports of 42 palestinians and 3 israelis killed so far. israeli forces continue massive building up of artillery and as many as 75,000 troops in possible for a ground invasion of the gaza strip. david lee miller is live on the front lines. david lee? >> reporter: that is right. we're short distance from the border and over my shoulder, perhaps you can make out the iron dome missile defense system. during the last several hours, israel has continued to pound

the gaza strip. there have been more than 200 air strikes and there have been rocket launching sites and the prime minister and a police station. there is also a report now that the israeli defense forces have implemented another targeted assassination going after another hamas commander. the death tomorrow is up to 45 palestinians killed and 350 bounded. so far three israeli have been killed. also in the last 24 hours, dozens and dozens of rockets have been fired from gaza by militants headed into iz israel. one was targeting tel aviv. a newly installed defense system shot down that rocket. residents of tel aviv watched on their balconies and they cheered as the rock was shot down.

the success rate is now an incredible 85% according to israeli defense officials. the system has saved countless lives and millions of dollars in damage. in addition to sending rockets into israel, the hamas militants are sending propaganda. they have released a video message in hebrew targeting israeli audiences. they talk about wanting to resume suicide attacks and goes on to say, do not sleep, we are coming to get you. lastly, on the diplomatic front, efforts continued at this hour in cairo in meetings reportedly taking place involving the prime minister of egypt, the prime minister of turkey as well as the emir trying to come up with a cease-fire there are

indications the talks are continuing but here on the ground they plan to implement some kind of ground incursion into gaza if necessary. the military has been offered to draft as many as 57,000 reservists. you can see roads are closed off and see and hear an increased amount of military activity. if there is not a diplomatic solution soon it looks like the violence is going to be ratcheted up. >> heather: david lee miller. thank you. >> gregg: let's take a look. so far 57 rockets have landed inside israel. that doesn't include the 25 rockets that have been intercepted by israel's iron dome. since the started the pillar of defense over 400 rockets and miles have hit hundreds more have been intercepted. how exactly does the iron dome missile defense work? they calculate each rocket's

trajectory and only intercepted those that will hate target. this is iron dome to a vast array of sensors to determines whether a rocket is expected to land in a populated area or not. >> heather: white house reiterating saying the israel has the right to defend itself against any attack. u.s. and israel both want an end to the rocket fire. president obama has spoken to leaders of egypt and turkey which could encourage hamas to end the violence. >> while the situation develops. president obama is on his way to southeast asia. he is working with that region will be a critical part of the second term.

ultimately it will be a his foreign policy legacy. he will go to thie land and then to go cambodia and be the first sitting president to visit burma. >> back here at home. concerns over the so-called fiscal cliff. we understand that the president plans to meet with congressional leaders again after thanksgiving looking to find way to avoid tax increases and spending cuts in the that you year. after the president's win, they are taking a harder line. can a compromise be reached. chief congressional correspondent from washington examiner, thank you for joining us. >> nice to be here. >> how hopeful that a compromise will be reached? >> i think it was interesting about yesterday was the way that all the leaders, republican and democrat came out together in front of the white house.

if things aren't going well, one party will come up and then the next and each one will stake their ground on the issue. i think both sides are really concerned if we get so close to the end of december wrought a deal it will ruin the market and economy and make things worse. they are trying send a message to give confidence to the markets and businesses that they are going could come with up something. >> heather: the republicans, what do you think they are willing to compromise moving forward? >> that the best question. what are they willing to do. there is concern in the far right flank that speaker john boehner will raise tax rates for the top 2 percent. they want to preserve tax cuts for every tax bracket. no one is sure that the speaker is doing that.

they are not discussing giving in on the top 2 percent but i don't think that is a promise they will keep. we'll have to wait and see. i know that they wanted entitlement reform on the table if not right now, a promise that we'll get to it in the new year and overall tax reform. those are the demands from the republican side. >> heather: what about spending cuts in terms of democrats? >> there is another hard issue. democrats are going to try to hold as much on spending cuts, but they know that the cuts have to be part of the deal. you can't get republicans along were anything unless there is something on that side. how far are democrats willing to go? on spending cuts and overhauling entitlement reform which is the main driver of the nation's debt. you may see a deal where there is tax increase if democrats are willing to go much further on entitlement reform and spending

cuts. >> heather: in terms of what each side is going to compromise and we have the issue of time. he is heading to asia and congress in recess next week. is their time? >> next week, congress is out for thanksgiving. however, the top aides will all be in the capital working on plans and working on proposals. even though the members aren't here, stuff is happening. when thanksgiving ends and we'll see everybody back in the table again. president obama will be back in asia, weeks remaining. i don't think you'll see the whole problem solved by the end of the year. we'll see a tiered approach and new year the tackle and overhauling the tax code. >> heather: which the speaker has alluded to. thank you so much for joining us. we'll see what happens january 1st.

>> gregg: brand-new developments in the scandal surrounding david petraeus. he went behind closed doors on capitol hill yesterday answering a whole lot of questions on the deadly attack at the consulate in libya that killed chris stevens. that briefing is raising serious new questions. molly henneberg is live in our washington bureau on that. >> molly: the mystery of who changed the c.i.a. talking points on the libya attack deepens today as the white house says no one there made the controversial changes. according to sources on capitol hill, former c.i.a. director david petraeus said the original c.i.a. memo was al-qaeda linked terror attack, but that al-qaeda part was excised in favor of a reference to extremist organizations. so who made that change? the white house today said it

only made one edit to the talking points which was to call the benghazi site. they told reporters, quote, we were provided with points by the intelligence community that represented their assessment. the only edit made by the white house was the factual edit about how to refer to the facility. democrats say this explains why u.s. ambassador to the u.n. susan rice said after the attack that it was a mob protesting and anti-muslim video and not a terror strike but republicans contend the obama administration wanted to downplay terrorism from the start. >> the issue is from what was released from c.i.a. headquarters on friday afternoon in an unclassified memo to the point it was changed to the sunday morning talk shows there is a gap we need to account for and understand why it was

changed. >> all the intelligence community have told us that initially they recognize there were terrorists involved but they thought it came from the protests, that it took time to sort that out. >> molly: c.i.a. talking points would have gone through numerous hands, various intelligence agencies, white house, state department, justice department before going out to lawmakers. >> gregg: so nobody is terribly forthcoming about who did it. molly henneberg, thanks very much. >> heather: illegal immigration a hot button issue and today we understand that republican lawmakers are now working on and alternative to the so-called dream act which gives some undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship. it's called the achieve act. >> reporter: with the election over some republican lawmakers are floating a conservative alternative to president obama's

dream act. supporters say the achieve act would legalize the status of undocumented children who grew up by gives them visas and earning degrees or serving in the military they could eventually become citizens. unlike the dream act, it doesn't allow the young people to jump ahead on illegal immigrants waiting their turn. >> i think its conservative argument to help targeted individuals in this days. >> they say retiring senators were working on this plan over the summer, but it was put on hold after mr. obama's executive action. now, they are saying to attempt to to pass pooh this by the end of the year. rubio says they better explain for a legal system that works. >> it's hard to get people to understand it if they think you

want to deport their grand mother. >> with 12 million more latinos voting this year they are clearly more powerful force. >> i think what was incredibly encouraging to see on significant increase in latino turnout. >> mitt romney received only 27% of the latino vote. the worst g.o.p. showing prompting some a sense of urgency. >> it's only a time where i can't win an election without the latino vote. i think conservatives are paying attention. >> congressional sources know that the executive action was only a temporary solution so a permanent fix is needed. they say the undocumented young people don't have a legal claim, there is a humanitarian issue to be addressed. >> gregg: we are just getting started. lots to tell you about today. we're following the escalating violence out of middle east

where israel and hamas continues to exchange blows. jewish state is calling up thousands of reserves in a possible ground invasion. how likely is that and how much further could this conflict escalate? >> heather: new concerns about airport security. you may not be as safe as you think when you board a plane. >>. >> gregg: we do have a update on a deadly train accident in texas that killed four war veterans. >> we bring them here where the community comes together to celebrate the heroic actions these veterans have performed. they are all injured veterans from the war. this is just devastating. [ forsythe ] we don't just come up here for the view up in alaska. it's the cleanest, clearest water.

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>>. >> gregg: welcome back. deadly collision in egypt leaving 50 people dead. a train slamming into a school bus carrying kids to kindergarten. it doesn't appear the crossing had been closed. coastguard searching for two workers that were missing after a fire on platform in the gulf

of mexico. they triggered the fire using a torch. four others are hospitalized with serious injury. five people are still in the hospital after the deadly train accident in midland, texas, four veterans were killed and 16 other people injured when a train smashed into a parade floated carrying the veterans to a banquet in their honor. >> heather: are you thinking about buying a fuel efficient hybrid car but were are you worried about the price? what if you could modify your old car and turn it into a hybrid. elizabeth pran, i have actually heard this before. it is possible, right? >> reporter: it is great news. a group of researchers working with graduate students. they designed a conversion kit they say can to it any car and really save you at the pump.

27 electro magnets and a battery pack. students at middle tennessee state university have made a hybrid prototype they say could fit on any car. >> we put a electric motor and battery pack. >> charles perry oversees the project. the device is designed for speeds below 40 miles per hour and the cost, around $3,000. he claims it will improve gas mileage by 50-100 percent. it's for drivers that don't want to buy an expensive or hybrid car. >> low power means lower components, batteries don't have to be as big.

>> reporter: so this is perfect compromise for folks who don't necessarily want to splurge for an expensive car. this will not affect the car's performance. >> heather: very interesting stuff. >> gregg: serious new concerns about the deadly terror attack on our consulate in libya after multiple days of testimony. some are saying that it has raised more questions than answers about the narrative on that attack. we'll try to get to the bottom of it all. >> heather: violence raging in the middle east for the fourth straight day. what can be done to stop this mounting conflict? >> we are preparing for any possibility of ground operation, a ground operation is possibility but it hasn't been decided on at this point. questions?

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we are ready to go on. we're ready to protect our

people in the south no matter what it takes. if it takes a week we have to help our people in the south. we have more than one million people under fire. we have to prepare. let's go. [ siren ] >> gregg: sirens are constant backdrop for israelis as hamas launched a massive assault on the stated. israel hitting the prime minister's0's and other government buildings there. [ siren ] >> gregg: while hamas fires another rocket at tel aviv but police say the iron dome missile defense system took it out midair. all of this as israeli forces, thousands of troops, how much further would this escalate?

fox news and terrorism analyst, the author of the coming revolution. walid, good to see you. israel has mobilized 75,000 reservists. is eight show of force to stop these rocketed attacks or is this a legitimate invasion into gaza? >> it could be both. number one, the israeli strategy to the southern flank around gaza is to make sure that hamas has launching pads of missiles that can reach tel aviv. to some point even jerusalem. so what the israelis are trying to do is mass those troops to have an option as the spokesperson has said if they need to do it. meanwhile, they are dealing with those launching pads from the air, helicopters and bombers. >> gregg: is that the preferred

way to do it. oftentimes hamas hides itself including rockets near schools and among innocent civilians and women and children. are these surgical strikes a preferred way as feodz a ground operation? >> at first they need to take out what they can take out without side victims or casualties among civilians. the difference between now and four years ago, hamas had obtained long-range missiles. they wanted to make sure this those are out. then they have to make a decision, they have to penetrate a few kilometers or they continue with the surge and strike. >> gregg: israel has invaded gaza before but what is different this time is a change of leadership. in egypt the regime of mohammed

morsi. this new government is allied closely with hamas. would egypt intervene notwithstanding the peace treaty with israel? >> that is going to be a very tall order for president morsi. yes he is the head of the government and it's in the hands of the muslim brotherhood. egypt is their ally. so out of cairo will be a lot of statements and maybe they could escalated against the camp david agreement. to say that the egyptian armed forces to be pouring into battle by their president is a very difficult thing to imagine. what could happen now is negotiation between cairo, israel and the united states to find a way for a cease-fire. >> gregg: hamas fighters are no match for the israeli military. last ground invasion killed over

1400 palestinians which invites the question, why would hamas break this truce by escalating the rocketed attacks on israel unless they are being directed to do it by their benefactors, their supporters, tehran? >> you know what, this could be the most important question for the debate about the gaza war. i am among those who think hamas does not have an interest. they hated the israelis, we know that. nobody between hamas and egypt have an interest to do it right now. it seems to me that the iranian leadership in order to deflect attention what is happening in syria and deflect attention on the pressure on iran, the ideal situation is push for their own support inside gaza to begin it. once they launch a few rockets,

israelis would have to respond. hamas would have to respond and then when that happens, most likely iranian supported elements started this. >> obama administration backs israel. is president obama standing with israel as in your judgment as he should? >> yes. so far he did. in the sense that he has no other option. no american president can come and say i'm with hamas against israel. he is with israel against hamas. at the same time this is the worst time for explosion to occur in the middle east. we know our situation in. we have an economic situation. ee needs unity in congress that is support of israel. we have the benghazi hearing. we may have to look at our national security doctrine. we have an arab spring that is being taken over by islamists.

so putting that pressure that the u.s. can only do this and not more. >> gregg: hamas runs the authority in gaza. it's also a terrorist organization. it is recognized as a terrorist organization by the united states. hamas refuses to recognize israel, it's charter to this day vows the destruction of israel. does the international community including importantly the united nations need to stop supporting the hamas government in gaza? >> they need to do so. they need to put pressure on hamas first of all to stop those attacks and second to change their charters and third, something other than hamas attacking israel it's hamas attacking other palestinians. hamas ka dame through elections and could attack against the palestinian authority and kill many palestinians. there are many things they need

to reform to accept it as a political party. i doubt that hamas would go into that direction. >> gregg: thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. >> heather: back at home, new concerns about airport safety after the tsa admits to a flaw in domestic boarding passes. tsa official tells fox news that travelers can apparently scan the bar codes on their ticket using a smart phone to see what kind of security check allowing them to take prohibited items aboard flights. dominic is live in los angeles with this concerning story. >> yes, the tsa tried to brush this off. they didn't want this to come out.

basic problem is the boarding passes you have today. you see a bar code that contains everything from passenger to flight information but the level of security screening especially if you belong to the tsa pre-approved travel program where you go in a different security line. you don't have to take off your shoes or your laptop. what they discovered you can crack that bar code with your mobile phone, upload it to web, change the code. so you can get in and the priority screening whether you are part of the pre-checked program. the tsa is very embarrassed by this and gone to some lengths, look, there is not much we can do about it. here a statement from spokesman earlier on. >> anyone very well knows, you patch one hole, another one could pop open. what the ultimate answer?

i don't know. i'm sure we have a very intelligent people working on the issues in trying to identify ways to make the piece of paper uncopyable. >> security experts say that they should have known at the time. they could have incorporated a digital signature into the bar coding software. all the same, passengers here getting ready to travel for thanksgiving and the holidays coming up were shocked to hear about the flaw. take a listen. >> i think they were very good right after september 11th, but they have gotten a little more lax so they need to step it up a bit. >> it will take one instance of someone doing something. >> somehow you can't duplicate

them. >> you need to be always be alert. >> reporter: they say they are alert and tsa cites things like observing human behavior. people go through the security screening area and got dogs, as well. even pre-checked flyers, passengers on the pre-checked system are subject to random screening. all the same, for security, this is an oversight that could have been avoided. >> heather: thank you. >> gregg: if you've been watching the markets, stocks are pretty much down because worries are up about tax increases, so-called fiscal cliff going into effect. what should investors do with their money? advice you need to know. >> heather: plus the white house speaking out about accusations someone in the administration may have changed the c.i.a.'s talking points on the deadly attack on benghazi. who is telling the truth and

what happens next? >> talking points were drafted, specifically around al-qaeda affiliations or al-qaeda terrorist activity. they said they went through the process which they seemed unclear about that. was taken out. [ mother ] you can't leave the table till you finish your vegetables. [ clock ticking ] [ male announcer ] there's a better way... v8 v-fusion. vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. could've had a v8. or...try kids boxes! could've had a v8. try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do

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>> heather: new concerns for investors as stocks take a nose dive. possible tax increases if lawmakers can't reach that so-called deal over the fiscal cliff. you've heard about it. europe's economy on top of that is slumping. what should you do right now to protect your investments? ed joins to us let us know, should we sell, is that we should do? >> it depends on what you are talking about. what you have to do and we need for our clients put events in

some sort of perspective. first thing you need to know everything that is happening in the world is going affect earnings. you have to hear an event and is that going to affect earnings and projected orientation stocks. what is going on in europe absolutely can because it can be part of that worldwide slow down. the fiscal cliff is next in line that absolutely could hurt the purchasing power that people have which in then hurt companies. both of those are events need to watch. >> heather: go ahead. >> one thing i want to add, what you can't do as an investor shorten your time horizon. don't let these things your short term decision-making. >> heather: i was going to say, first, let's deal with the fiscal cliff? >> the fiscal cliff is very

simply it would be something that would take money out of the economy if taxes are raised. there will be less money to purchase items. therefore the projected earnings and stocks move up based on projected earnings and if they don't come in you'll see the stock price going down. when you hear earning revisions, coming out lower that is something to be concerned about. >> heather: the 1987 crash and debt crash and those were good opportunities to buy stocks. do you see that? >> historically that is the case going back for hundred years when stocks dropped you bought them and eventually they go up. companies are out there trying to make better earnings. so there will be times to buy, but the question is when because

if you buy now and stocks drop you will be unhappy about that. you have to stay fully invested. one thing you must stay away from bonds. you have very little upside on buying bonds especially bonds that mature seven years from now. so those will lose money. my advice by equities, buy more and don't shorten your time horizon and get out of any bond funds. >> heather: keep your emotions out of it, right? >> without any question, do not get emotional, just go out and work hard and make this economy grow. >> heather: ed, thanks so much. >> gregg: new developments in the attack in libya with the white house what they are saying about accusations that may have altered the c.i.a. talking

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>>. >> gregg: new developments concerning the terror attack in libya. an official telling reporters

today that the white house did not heavily alter talking points about the benghazi attack. this after former c.i.a. director david petraeus told the committee yesterday he was very clear from the started that the ambush that killed four americans on september 11th was, indeed, a terror attack. so who changed the c.i.a. talking points and why? does any of this makes sense. stephen yates is deputy assistant to dick cheney. petraeus says he knew from day one that this attack was an al-qaeda affiliated terror attack but he later signed off on edited talking points which said that it wasn't. doesn't that mean that petraeus willingly supported a lie? >> on the face of it, gregg, it certainly does. really there is only one possible explanation for why he may have got that way late in

the game and edited text could have come back for final clearance. he may have wrongly assumed there were consequently changes and he learned to clear something that he knew was false. >> gregg: now we're hearing, if the terror was spelled out in the secret classified talking points, we didn't put it in the unclassified version that was made public. if that is accurate, doesn't mean that americans were deliberately misled to hide the truth contained in the classified documents? would there be any justification for that? >> the only justification for withholding the truth that terrorism was involved, you wouldn't have to spell out who exactly was involved, what groups, what individuals. the only excuse would be if saying so would put jeopardy lives in the homeland or deployed personnel. there is no argument for that.

>> gregg: a congressman who is a democrat had this to say. take a listen. >> the general was very clear, there was no politization of the process. there was no white house trying to interfere with the process. none of that happened and none of that would have been tolerated. >> gregg: how does a general know that if he doesn't know who edited the talking points? >> exactly right. it's impossible for him to have known. it's just wait the process generally works. people in the white house would gather information and then another round of staffing would go inside the white house directed by the communication staff. the general wouldn't know what changed in the process and if he doesn't know if the changes were done after the fact. >> gregg: he doesn't know.

let me go to something else. in the second debate. the president claimed he did in fact call it a terror attack the very next day, september 12th in the rose garden. if that is true, why did he send out susan rice four days later to say, no, it was the video. you it doesn't make sense, does it? >> it doesn't make sense. we need to dig into because this was a false nay narrative. 60 minutes interview with president obama after the rose garden remarks made it clear that steve croft had the impression that he avoided calling benghazi a terrorist attack. president obama made clear that benghazi and events and cairo were separate. so from the get-go they had a clear set of facts. it was okay to say those things in 60 minutes and indefense to say it one have been okay to build on that theme in the days

ahead. >> gregg: the president also said, look, susan rice didn't have anything to do with benghazi. will nobody in the news conference bothered to ask him. did you send her out four days later on five different talk shows on sunday to talk about benghazi -- that doesn't make sense. at his news conference, president obama said this in reference to the attacks in benghazi. my orders were do whatever we need to do to make sure they are safe -- that is to say those under attack. well, no help arrived. turns out they weren't made safe. they were killed. does that sound like the president's orders therefore, commander in chief were ignored or somehow refused unless, of course, he really never made those orders? >> if the president meant what he said, there is only two uncomfortable possibilities. one, he didn't really give those

orders and what he said was untrue or he gave them and they were violated by people in the chain of command. if so, how are they not swiftly having disciplinary procedures to go after those that ignored the orders of a commander in chief. i find it implausible that the orders would have been ignored. i think the people in the chain of command would be very motivated to save their own in a position of attack. so, it's more plausible in retro suspect that the order didn't come from the white house in the way the president describes. >> gregg: today the white house is claiming it did not make the controversial changes in those talking points. do you buy that? should people at the white house be forced to testify maybe including the president? >> i don't buy it. in substance and even just in process. white house picks surrogates. the white house is in charge of the talking points and messages those people go forward. it was in the fever pitch of a presidential campaign, they

would have been politically sensitive and implications and politics. i think it was the fog of politics, not the fog of war. i find implausible the white house didn't change things. >> gregg: steven yates, thank you very much. >> heather: they are already heroes, now a team of war veterans to help victims in areas devastated by super storm sandy. that story is just ahead. stay with us. [ malannouncer ] it'that time of year again. time for cii price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. buy now. save later.

>> gregg: fox news alert. mounting violence in the middle east this hour as hamas rockets rain down on cities across israel for the fourth straight day. in the meantime, there you hear it, air raid sirens. israel launching hundreds of air strikes on the gaza strip in response taking out key hamas government buildings as defense forces continue a massive build-up of artillery and troops at the border in preparation for a possible ground invasion. hello, everyone. i'm gregg jarrett. welcome to a brand-new hour inside america's news headquarters. >> heather: i'm heather childers. thank you for joining us. in tel aviv, israel's second largest city, police say israel's iron dome defense system took out a hamas rocket in midair. as we get reports of at least 42 palestinians and three israelis killed so far. david lee miller is live on the front lines of the conflict near

the israel-gaza border. david lee? >> over my shoulder off in the distance is the iron dome, missile defense system. it is quiet now, but a few hours ago, a number of interceptor missiles were fired. look at the video that we recorded at about 8:30 local time. you can see there were three interceptor missiles fired just seconds apart. then there was a brief lull and then there was a fourth interceptor missile that was fired. in the nearby area, people ducked for cover. the air raid sirens we'd. people on the highway pulled over, ducked for cover. some people went under an underpass and once again, the interceptor missile defense system seemed to be more than successful. that's what happened earlier today when one of the rockets fired in gaza was targeting tel aviv, a newly installed battery of the iron dome was put into

operation and it shot down a rocket that was targeting tel aviv. people in the tel aviv area were watching from their balconies. they looked above and saw the actual interception take place. many of them cheered. the system incredibly successful. israeli authorities say 85% of the interceptor missiles do their job. now, meanwhile, the israeli military continues its air strikes over gaza. they've had more than 200 air strikes in just the last 24 hours. the targets include those rocket launching pads, militants themselves, as well as the headquarters of the palestinian prime minister. israel on the ground still sending signals that it is micking preparations for a ground invasion as we have reported as many as 75,000 reservists have been authorized

to be called up if necessary and the area near the border has been declared a military zone. lastly, heather, we're getting word from the egyptian president, mohammed morsi, he's saying there is some indications now of a possibility of a cease fire. there is a lot of wiggle room in that, but it does appear that there is some progress being made diplomaticcally in the last few hours in cairo. there was a meeting taking place involving the egyptian president and the prime minister of turkey and of qatar. they're trying to come up with a diplomatic solution to this conflict. but in the meantime, on the ground things do continue to remain tense. israel at least from this vantage point, continuing to prepare for the possibility of a ground invasion. back to you. >> heather: david lee miller reporting for us live, the very latest developments from the front lines. thank you. >> gregg: more on this story, hamas militants have been

ploying longer range missiles. as a consequence, jerusalem has come under fire for the first time since 1970. the israeli military says so far nearly 700 rockets have been launched from gaza. about 410 have actually hit israel. 245 intercepted by the iron dome antimissile system. >> heather: the white house is weighing in, saying, quote, israel has the right to defend itself. president obama spoke to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu last night as violence escalated and a top white house aide says the u.s. supports israel's need to stop rocket fire from gaza. so where is this conflict heading and could it drag in the u.s.? coming up we sit down with k.t. mcfar land for her take. stay with us. >> gregg: new reaction from the white house to the growing questions overt deadly libyan

terrorist attack. the former head of the c.i.a., general david petraeus, briefing lawmakers on capitol hill behind closed doors and raising new questions about the handling of the deadly consulate attack that killed four americans. now republicans are demanding answers. >> they said the talking points that came from the c.i.a. specifically mentioned al-qaeda and that al-qaeda was involved in the attack. they left the c.i.a., went through whole process, which i believe included the white house and when the talking points were finalized, all the references to al-qaeda were taken out and it was put in almost as an afterthought, saying there are indications of emstreamist involvement in the demonstration. nothing about the attack, nothing about al-qaeda, nothing about that they were definite that kale was involved. >> gregg: molly henneberg is live in washington with more. hi, molly. >> hi. that's the mystery today, who removed the reference to an al-qaeda linked attack in the c.i.a. talking points given to

lawmakers on the days right after the attack in libya? the white house said today no one there took out that part. white house deputy national security advisor ben rhodes said, quote, the only edit made by the white house and also by the state department was to change the word, consulate, to the word diplomatic facility. since the facility in benghazi, libya was not formally a consulate. but someone made a much more controversial edit and inserted a reference to extremist organizations instead of an al-qaeda terrorist attack. and pressed the idea that the attack was the idea of a mob turning violent because of an anti-muslim video. former c.i.a. director general david petraeus told members of congress yesterday in a hearing he wasn't sure who made the changes. republicans say the obama administration wanted to minimize the possibility of terrorism early on. but democrats say the facts were still coming in. >> in fact, in looking at the raw intelligence there were many conflicting reports, some that

said there were protests. some that said there weren't. there were groups claiming responsibility. others denying responsibility. and it took time for the intelligence community to get it right. >> why was the talking point memo initially released from the c.i.a. after it went through its process, why were certain things taken out and why was there such an emphasis on this youtube video as opposed to the mull pell other motivations that could have also sparked the attack? >> the c.i.a. talking points went through numerous hands. the various agencies, who state department, justice department before going out to lawmakers. gregg? >> gregg: molly henneberg in washington. thanks. >> heather: president obama now in germany during a brief stop on his way to southeast asia. deputy national security advisor ben rhodes says that working with that region will be a critical part of the president's second term and ultimately his foreign policy legacy.

president obama will first arrive in tie land before moving on to cambodia and then on monday, he will actually make history by becoming the first sitting u.s. president to visit burma. >> gregg: extremely tight election is now over in the state of arizona. democrat ron barber won a full term representing the state's second congressional district. vote increase a special election picked him to finish out the remainder of gabrielle giffords' term. but last week's election, so very tight, took until today to declare a clear winner. >> heather: the tsa confirming to fox news a troubling weakness in our nation's airport security and if exploited, it could make it easier for passengers to take potentially dangerous items on board planes. dominic is live at l.a.x. in los

angeles with more on this story. dominic? >> hey there. yes, this rather serious concerns about the boarding passes that are issued to passengers. they contain a bar code that has the passenger information, and level of security screening that they get. now, the passengers who signed up to the tsa's precheck flight preapproval program, where they get prevetted for a lesser degree of security screening, they get to go through a separate lane. they don't take off their coats or shoes. their laptops aren't inspected. the bar code can be exploited with a cell phone, uploaded and changed and repremeditated that allows people that aren't part of the precheck system to go inside that line which would allow certain passengers to actually take forbidden items onto the plane. security is concerned saying it needs fixing as soon as possible. one of the security experts we spoke to earlier this week said

to us that the tsa probably knew about this and needs to fix it. take a listen. >> they certainly know the information and the opportunity to do it is there. i can't speak to whether they knowingly chose to pick a less secure option. in hindsight, we can say they made a bad decision. >> a lot of criticism against the tsa. the tsa has been scrambling to defend itself because many are saying they must have known as long as four years ago that a flaw could exist in the bar coding system that exists. tsa spokesman, here is his response. >> identifies something as a vulnerability to not understand the entire aviation security system because there is not one -- one hole is not going to bring us down because we have so many other patches. >> there is no real indication the tsa of how quickly they're working to close this

vulnerability, this flaw in the boarding passes. it has to work with the airlines because they're the ones that actually put the bar codes on the boarding passes. tsa in its defense is saying we already have many screening methods. we have people that observe human behavior as they go through checkpoints just in case anybody looks shifty, sniffer dogs and other forms of checks. they're not that concerned from the way they described it, what the methods they've got that someone could easily slip through but security experts say someone could easily exploit this and until they close this loophole, the risk very much does exist. back to you. >> heather: dom nick live from los angeles, thank you. >> gregg: two tiered search from the sky by sea for two men who are missing off an oil rig. yesterday an oil platform caught fire in the gulf of mexico close to the coast of louisiana. torch used to cut into an oil line suddenly igniting that blaze and the coast guard is planning to broaden its search for the two men still missing.

four other men badly burned in critical condition. officials said no oil was leaking from the charred platform. >> heather: a team of u.s. war veterans known as team rubicon using their military experience and training to help victims in areas that were devastated at this super storm sandy. anna kooiman is following their efforts and live in the rockaways in queens, new york with the latest. hi, anna. >> hello. good evening to you. the same personality traits that prompted these veterans to serve in the military are prompting them o serve the super storm sandy victims now. about 500 volunteers, many of them veterans of the wars in iraq and afghanistan, are focusing on the rockaways area of queens today. they're offering physical labor and also emotional support. since 2009, team rubicon helped in the aftermath of nearly 50 natural disasters and humanitarian crises. the veterans are giving their blood, sweat and tears to remove

debris, muck, sand and mold from flooded homes. >> they give by serving the country and then they come to give to me individually. they keep me safe and now they're trying to keep me safe again. it's amazing. it's so cool. >> the homeowner you just heard from burst into tears when the team arrived. she's been alone, cold in the dark and scared of looters for nearly three weeks. she has been told it may be christmas until she has her power restored. one team leader broke several ribs while volunteering last week and is taking on a coordinating role. murphy says the tragedy he experienced losing some his comrades helps him relate to sandy victims. >> as i told her, we all hit our low points. we, it was awful. it was a bad day for all of us. here i am a year later helping somebody else out and i hope for her as i tell her, a year from now, she's going to be helping somebody else. it's a low point, and i share

that story with her and it hurts, but it gives them hope, too. >> the team plans to stay in place until at least the end of the year. a piece good news is that many of the veterans who suffer from symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder report not having to take medications while they're out here serving. if folks would like to donate or get involved, go to deeprubiconusa.com. >> thank you so much. we appreciate it. >> gregg: israel is stepping up air strikes on the gaza strip and calling up tens of thousands of troops, as well as heavy artillery. so what can we expect in this mounting conflict? we'll take a closer look at that. >> heather: plus, president obama meeting with congressional leaders on the so-called fiscal cliff. so are we looking at a possible compromise or is the u.s. economy poised for another crisis? we will have a fair and balanced debate up next schools...

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>> gregg: new developments in the crucial talks concerning the so-called fiscal cliff. the white house reporting this morning president obama will meet with congressional leaders the week after thanksgiving to continue the budget talks. this as leaders on both sides of

the aisle show new signs of compromise. >> to show our seriousness, we put revenue on the table, as long as it's accompanied by significant spending cuts. and while we're going to continue to have revenue on the table, it's going to be incumbent for my colleagues to show the american people that we're serious about cutting spending. >> we understand our responsibility there. we understand that it has to be about cuts. it has to be about revenue, it has to be about growth. it has to be about the future. >> gregg: can we really expect a deal before the end of the year, a big deal, a minor deal, maybe no deal? heading for another financial crisis. jonathan joins us, former national republican committee chairman. tim is a former economic advisor to president bill clinton, former advisor to the senate finance committee and a partner

with monument policy group. gentlemen, good to see you. jonathan, let me start with you. is it really unrealistic to think that a far reaching fiscal grand bargain can actually be hammered out during this brief lame duck session with all the holidays, or is it more likely that an interim deal which postpones all elements of the fiscal cliff will be signed? >> i think it's possible because i think a lot of conversations have been happening over the last several months. one thing that has to be very, very clear for republicans is whenever they're talking about raising taxes, they're getting into some potentially very, very dangerous territory. the reason for that is simple, because whenever these budget deals happen, the tax increases always take place immediately, but the spending cuts are enacted over two years o'clock five years, ten years. five years from now, we'll have a different congress, different members of congress, they're not going to feel bound to whatever deal was cut. >> that's why james baker said you got to tie it all together. >> has to be tied together.

they have to be tied to the spending cuts happening. >> gregg: tim, the president wants the so-called rich to pay more. well, instead of raising the marginal rates to accomplish that, why not force wealthier americans to pay more in taxes by eliminating loopholes, limiting deductions and exemptions? couldn't that constitute the basis for a deal? >> well, look, i guess i would start by saying let's not get too caught up and how we get to a deal. i think the white house meeting was incredibly important yesterday because what you had was you had the president and you had the leaders of the senate and the house saying frankly what the american people, what a lot of people have been saying a long time and that's you have to raise revenue and you have to cut spending and you've had a never of bipartisan commissions now and now a group of ceo's and moderate democrats in the house say that. but one of those things, there was an important letter yesterday from a group of moderate democrats in the house that basically said, look, let's not take anything off the table at this point. let's not draw any lines in the

sand. so i -- >> gregg: well, the president seemed to be drawing a line in the sand and the white house, too, especially after his news conference, which jay carney said absolutely the president would not accept anything other than a marginal tax increase from the rich. look, jonathan, economists at the packs follow crumpled the numbers. instead of raising the rates, you can gain the same amount of revenue by capping itemized deductions at roughly $50,000 a year and it would not, they say, hit the middle class. it would only hit the top income earners. so sound like a solution to you? >> well, the main thing we have to remember is this isn't just about raising taxes. you have to have spending cuts as part of this. i think any household gets that. if you get a 10% raise on your salary, you're not going to necessarily put all that to your deficit reduction. you're going to spend more. you have to be absolutely careful to tie any kind of tax increase, whether it is broadening the base and eliminating the deductions or

limiting them, but all has to be tied together legally to the spending cuts. >> gregg: tim, to that end, any deal on revenue increases has to include spending cuts. why not adopt the simpson bowles plan which had a three to one ratio of spending cuts to revenue increases? is that reasonable and doable? three to one? >> well, look, i think there is a number of different commissions that have come out with a number of different frameworks. i think everybody knows you have to have a mix of spending cuts and increases in revenue. i don't think we should tire ourselves to three to one, two to one. >> gregg: why not? >> i think the members of congress will have to work out a deal. at the end of the day, there has to be a mix of both and as president -- >> gregg: bowles simpson spent a year and a half studying this and talking to experts and they said the way to do it is three to one. >> and i think that's one of several commissions. i think there was a lot of support for that. bipartisan

support. that should be given serious consideration. >> gregg: i don't know why you have to reinvents the wheel when a bipartisan commission spends a year and a half studying this and comes up with a solution. but look, jonathan, john f. kennedy cut tax rates and the economy surged. reagan did the same thing. what happened? gdp soared, unemployment plunged. tax revenues doubled. doesn't that show that dropping rates, not raising them, is more economically sound? >> i totally agree with that point. i don't know that the governing party agrees with that point. that's the problem. another key thing to look at is if they do raise rates, check to see if the democrats are going to tie those rates to inflation. they never do that because these -- if we were talk being soaking the rich right now, ten years from now, $250,000 is probably going to be upper middle class. it's a hard thing to look at. they need to -- >> gregg: i'm out of time. real quick, tim. >> keep in mind that the clinton tax rates, which is what we're talking about going to, we had a

lot of job growth and a loft budget surpluses in those years. those tax rates weren't too bad for us. >> gregg: thank you, gentlemen. >> thank you. >> heather: coming up, super storm sandy as we know devastating houses of worship in the northeast. we will tell you what's being done to get these sanctuaries back on their feet. >> gregg: israel and militants in the gaza strip trading fire in the middle east. how bad could the fighting get and will the u.s. get drawn into it? national security analyst k.t. mcfarland will join us with her take [ female announcer ] today, jason is here to volunteer to help those in need. when a twinge of back pain surprises him. morning starts in high spirits

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>> heather: welcome back of the time for the top of the news. tensions are rising in the middle east as israel shoots down a rocket from gaza. the israeli military using its iron dome defense system to

guard tel aviv. >> gregg: unanswered questions about the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya that killed four americans. former c.i.a. director david petraeus testifying to lawmakers he believed the incident was a terrorist attack almost immediately. however, the white house's initial messages left that out. >> heather: and the tsa admitting to a major security problem with airline boarding passes. the bar codes on tickets are not encoded, which means bad guys may be able to fake them and skip security checkpoints even if they're on the no fly list. >> gregg: sandy damaged thousands of homes on long island and new jersey. it's ravages many houses of worship as well. and now several churches and temples are asking for help to rebuild. now that story. >> the repair work has begun at all saints episcopal church in new jersey. the road ahead is long.

>> as the water swept in, what happened, because the crawl space is so small, the build-up of water under the church meant that the foundation just crumbled and collapsed. >> the historic structure was built in the late 1800s and designed by boat builders. it was never meant to withstand the surge from the dirty bay water that hurricane sandy brought. >> i think if it was just the ocean water, it would have been cleaner. but because it was the bay water, it drew the mud in as well. >> houses of worship are supposed to bring solace to broken hearted. but countless sanctuaries are in great need of healing themselves and proved to be an equal opportunity destroyer from sandy. >> the waves breached our stage here. so i'm going to have to discard everything that's up there. >> at west end synagogue in far rockaway in queen, new york, the rabbi surveyed the damage.

the storm put the entire neighborhood and the temple under at least four feet of water. the once pristine sanctuary has buckling wood floors coated with sludge. holy books now mold ridden, are unusable. but because of their religious content, they can not be burned, so they sit covered outdoors awaiting their fate. >> in judaism we don't toss things away. we have to take our prayer books and give them a proper burial. that's how we show that they're sacred. >> many houses of worship across the northeast find themselves in the same situation. having lost treasures that simply cannot be replaced. and because insurance may not cover the millions of dollars needed for repairs, the congress gantts themselves will have to raise the money. in new york, lauren green, fox news. >> heather: millions in israel and the gaza strip on edge right now. we've been following this developing story for you throughout the newscast as hamas rockets rained down on cities

across israel for a fourth straight day. israel's iron dome defense system intercepts a rocket over tel aviv. now israel massing heavy artillery and tens of thousands of troops along the shared border. so what is the end game in this mounting conflict? k.t. mcfarland is a national security analyst and joins me now with a little more insight. so the first question i have for you, because as the story has developed today, we've heard about 75,000 reservists who have been put on notice. is a ground invasion -- how likely is that and what are the implications? >> we're not sure whether it's likely. i think israel has a very specific objective here. hamas on the gaza strip has 10,000 missiles. now, they have the ability to launch those all at once, or over a period of time or just a few every now and then. what they're doing now is a few every now and then. but israel wants to make sure

that they take those out. why? because let's say six months from now israel wants to do a preemptive strike against iran's nuclear weapons site. iran would retaliate by unleashing those 10,000 missiles on israel. so if israel goes there now and takes those out, destroys them, then if they want to six months from now take out those nuclear sites in iran, they don't have to worry about the retaliation. >> some of these missiles we're talking about, that hamas is using, some of them are longer range missiles provided by iran. >> exactly. that's what's new about all this. now hamas on the gaza strip has the ability to leach jerusalem, tel aviv, with these missiles inasmuch what about egypt? that's the key. you don't know what they're going to do. for 40 years israel and egypt have not fought each other. they've had a peace agreement. but now there's a new guy in town. >> heather: muslim brotherhood. >> they're in charge in egypt. guess what? hamas on the gaza strip, another muslim brotherhood group. they're like cousins to each

other. so israel, prime minister of egypt just went yesterday to the gaza strip, presumably was going to try to get everybody to calm down and peace agreement. but i think what he was doing was to say, look, if you guy december get invaded by israel, maybe we'll help each other. so israel could do, one, open the border between egypt and gaza and let weapons flow into gaza. the second thing they can do is break that peace treaty they've had for 30 years. and the third thing they can do is say, if there is a fight, maybe they join the fight and they might do it -- they would join the fight with hamas. then you got a bigger war. >> heather: we have david lee miller on the scene and he did report there is possibly some sort of diplomatic resolution possibly in the works and mohammed morsi had said they made some progress on that front. so we'll see. >> you'll see. really the key is, israel isn't going to want any diplomatic solution for a while. >> heather: implications for the

u.s.? >> the big one is we are ally of israel, historic ally of israel. largely a u.s. base military equipment. but for the last 40 years, we've been a close ally of egypt. we've also given them military equipment. if the two of them -- if it gets to the point where they're fighting each other, what do we do? who do we supply? both of them? both of them fight each other with american weapon as soon as do we supply one or the spore if so, which one? >> heather: with a do you think will happen? >> i don't think it's going to come to that, but i think if it does, president obama is going to have a very difficult time because we have a historic relationship with israel, but at the same time, president obama has made it his mission in his presidency to reach out to muslim countries. so i think he'll be stuck. my guess -- >> heather: in all of this, we should be watching iran as well, because this could possibly escalate and open the door, pave the way for israel to attack iran, you think? >> the problem with this whole region, we've all been focused on the arab spring, nobody paid

a darn bit of attention to israel. israel says it used to be bad, it's gotten a whole lot worse. >> heather: thank you so much. we appreciate your insight. >> thank you. >> gregg: of course, we've been hearing a lot about the fiscal cliff and how it could plunge the economy back into recession. do americans have faith in washington to solve the looming crisis? what the polls are telling us coming up. and bp paying a record dollar settlement over the gulf oil spill. does the price tag fit the crime? legal panel weighs in the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more... [ midwestern/chicago accent ] cheddar! yeah! 50 percent more [yodeling] yodel-ay-ee-oo. 50% more flash. [ southern accent ] 50 percent more taters. that's where tots come from. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn.

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>> gregg: bp announcing this week it will pay a record 4 1/2 billion dollars settlement over the gulf oil spill. in the meantime, two rig workers have been charged with manslaughter in the deaths of 11 other workers. their attorneys say they're

being scapegoated by the department of justice to have a point on that. first, does the record settlement fit their offense? joining us is defense attorney doug burns. 4.5 billion in which the company is pleading guilty to criminal charges. >> yep. >> gregg: my goodness, given the massive damage to the gulf, the loss of life, 11 workers were killed. and you juxtapose that, the amount that they make, last year they made $25 billion. does it fit the crime? >> i don't think you can isolate it, that's the problem. i don't really have a strong editorial opinion per say. however, let me say this, 1 billion on clean-up efforts, apparently. they paid 7.8 billion to

individuals businesses and others. they project another 7.8 billion apparently. and by the way, this criminal settlement with doj, put that to the side, this potential civil liability looming on the landscape. >> gregg: my sense is you're thinking, yeah, maybe it's okay. >> i don't want to say that. >> gregg: oh, come on. vicky, what do you think? take a position. >> tip of the iceberg. i think this is just the beginning. we know they're gog face civil penalties in the billions as well. so everything is going to be adding on. this could be in totality the tab for this unfortunate catastrophic disaster. so i think this is just the beginning. i don't feel sorry for them and i think it's time to really own up to what they actually did. >> gregg: now, let's talk about the two company employees who are now charged with manslaughter in the death of 11 workers on that oil rig. one of their attorneys is saying, you know what? they're just being victimized as scapegoats here.

let's put up on the screen one of the quotes from the lawyer. it is almost inconceivable that any fair minded person would blame this hard work and diligent man for one of the most catastrophic events in the history of the oil business. doug? >> well, i was never a big fan and i'm still not, of that type of charge. i've been in construction accidents, scaffolding accidents, criminal investigations a number of times. and generally in those instances, nobody was charged. but you can bring an involuntary manslaughter charge. i don't necessarily like it. i looked at the indictment. they charge him with involuntary manslaughter and then seamans manslaughter under federal law. >> gregg: is this different to human life? >> unlawful manner or omission. the question is, who actually can you blame? is there a approximate cause element here? are they going to be blaming other people or was it these two individuals? was it their culpability?

bp already pled guilty on the criminal side to 11 counts of manslaughter. how is that going to dove tail into these charges? >> gregg: d. o.j. is still investigating. they could criminally charge others. >> there is no question about that. as a matter of fact, in some of the media articles, that was raised. another issue, i suppose, is, which i think is a red herring, does the plea by the corporation then in some way impact or foreclose -- >> gregg: is that admissible evidence? >> the one expert i spoke with said no and i agree with him. >> likely not. >> it's a conspiracy, greg. >> gregg: the standard in a counter of law. i remember it well. former bp executive david grainy charged with something different. not manslaughter, but obstruction of congress and making false statements, withholding information about how much of the oil was really gushing from the well. now, that's an easier case to

prove, isn't it? >> yes, and i'm outraged at the misstatements, the falsification of information that was given to congress under oath and you know why they did it? because they didn't want to be affected by the clean water act. the penalties quadruple for more barrels of oil that are still. they knew and they did it. they were trying to save deep pockets and that is unacceptable. >> gregg: doug, do they have the goods on grainy? >> depends on the paper trail. in other words, if you can get your hands on one document that says look, you got to understate this thing, good-bye to down size t then he's going to be dead in the water. >> gregg: the only document he didn't read, he can always say, see that. >> that's what most ceo's say. >> gregg: when they're lying under oath. >> gregg, 5,000 gallons versus 66 gallons? this is not with a typeo. that's what we're talking about. you could agree with that. >> i do. >> gregg: all right. vicky, doug, good to see you both. >> thank you. >> gregg: heather? >> heather: coming up, as the clock winds down on that looming

fiscal cliff and billions in tax hikes and spending cuts hang in the balance, what are americans saying about a possible compromise before it's too late? we've got the latest polls from scott rasmussen up next. plus, dead levi less than raging in the middle east. at this hour. a live report from the front lines of the mounting conflict between hamas and israel just ahead having you ship my gifts couldn't be easier. well, having a ton of locations doesn't hurt. and my daughter loves the santa. oh, ah sir. that is a customer. let's not tell mom. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. fedex office. [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you don't back down from a challenge. this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. sowhy let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have.

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welcome back, the fiscal cliff looming over washington and every single american out there on january 1, there will be automatic spending cuts and tax hikes unless washington can reach an agreement to stop it. >> heather: so do the american people have faith in their elected officials on capitol hill to fix the problem? well, 51% say it is likely that congress and the white house will agree a on a plan to avoid the fiscal cliff. while 42% say, not so much. pretty unlikely. let's bring in scott rasmussen to talk more about this. so 51% say it's likely they'll reach a deal. they have faith. >> well, they have a little bit of faith. only 29% have a strong opinion one way or the other and they're split down the middle.

seven out of ten americans say they're not really sure what's going to happen, but they are leaning in one direction. 60% do want to see the tax cuts extended. 48% want to see the spending cuts stopped. so there is a hope that something can happen. at the early stage in negotiations, people aren't really sure what's going to happen. heather, i got to tell you, when you got beyond the short-term and you ask about what are the prospects for a longer term deal to rein in spending in the future, most americans say you've got to be kidding? >> gregg: the president wants to raise taxes on the rich and he seems to identify those rich people as anybody who makes over $250,000 a year. some of those might vigorously disagree with that. here is what you found. talk to us about it. >> yeah. almost six out of ten americans agree with the president on this. by the way, most say if you make over $250,000 a year, you're in the upper income brackets. not necessarily wealthy. you have to area a lot more before most people consider you really wealthy. key thing here, democrats

overwhelm league agree with the president on this issue. they want to see taxes raised on the upper income americans. that means you get to please his base. 58% of unaffiliated voters agree with them. republicans strongly in opposition, two out of three oppose it. this is a great place for the president to be. you get the republicans isolated on this issue. >> heather: scott, can you balance the budget just by raising taxes? what do people think about that? >> only 19% think that you can get there by raising taxes on the upper income americans. now, republicans have been making this point for a long time and i think what the data is telling us is they're making a wrong argument. most miles an hours, two out of three, recognize that this is knoll a plan to reduce the deficit. they're seeing it as something to deal with a fairness issue, the perception that the upper income americans are not paying their fair share and that's why it's so popular right now. if you get past this hurdle, there will be plenty of other

discussions about deficit reduction. >> gregg: well, the keeper of the secrets in america, the c.i.a. director, david petraeus, resigned this week. what do folks think about that? >> 52% think that given the affair, it was appropriate for him to resign. men are a little more strongly committed to that belief. republicans a little more committed to that belief. it's interesting to note, even after this whole story broke, 45% of voters have a favorable opinion of general petraeus. only 41% an unfavorable view. >> heather: i got to tell you, i'm one of the folks that i only care about it if it affected our national security. if it affected the situation in benghazi and how we responded to that. so what do people think in terms of our national security? do they believe it put it at risk? >> most americans at this point in time are saying no, this did not create a national security situation. and perhaps these numbers will change as the story comes out and we learn more about it.

but at this point in time, there is a general perception that national security was not compromised. again, when you get to the number of people who are really concerned about this, only 13% say it's very likely that security was compromised. >> gregg: we're six days before black friday. the big question is, have any folks done their shopping yet? wow, look at that! 635 haven't even started. >> heather: i'm in the 65% category. i have not started. i admit it. >> the number that amazes me is the 7% who are finished. these are people who planned ahead, they've finished. we expect based on previous years that about 8 or 10 million more people will finish this coming weekend. but heather, if it makes you feel any better, 45% of us, and i'm with you on this -- 45% say they wait 'til the last minute. >> heather: it's tradition. gregg was mentioning last week, he's bought himself gifts so far. >> gregg: yeah, i can't resist. i shop for myself. >> what a guy. >> gregg: then i put it under

the tree and say it's from santa claus and nobody really knows. at this shop for my wife this morning and yesterday. >> there is one other piece of information here that i think won't surprise you, but we do ask people whether they consider holiday shopping something they really enjoy or if it's an unpleasant chore. nationally, people are split down the middle. women tenedos it's something they enjoy. men tend to say it's a chore. i guess there might be a difference if you're buying a gift for yourself. >> gregg: there you go. i love doing that. >> heather: in a nutshell. >> gregg: scott rasmussen, great to sigh. >> heather: and that does it for us. rick and arthel take over at the top of the hour. >> gregg: have a great weekend, everybody. see you back here tomorrow @ [ male announcer ] wouldn't it be cool if you could combine

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